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Another real wedding to share today, and this one has a special place in my heart! Desiree and Michael just exude kindness and positivity in every single interaction I have with them - both of them would separately wish me well if I posted about being sick on Instagram, for instance (yep, even the groom!!!). You just know two beautiful souls like that are in for a wonderful, happy marriage together! The fact that it also happened to be a Pinterest dream is just an added bonus! All of these phenomenal photos are courtesy of the amazing Jenna Joseph (and you can read more of D + M's love story on her blog).

YAY - you're planning a wedding! Are you stressed already just thinking about it? Don't be - this can be a fun process if you do it the right way, and we are here to help with all of those tough parts. We always recommend creating your guest list as the first step, because this helps everything else fall into place. You can't really make any decisions on venue, date, or even budget until you know how many guests to expect at your wedding, but the guest list can prove to be one of the trickiest parts (especially once you get the moms involved). We've compiled some tips and tricks to help make this part of the process a little easier, so you can move on to the fun parts!

Biting our nails, chewing loudly, talking too much - we’ve all got bad habits. We hope they don’t negatively affect our lives, and for the most part, habits are forgivable, but when it comes to your business, there are plenty of bad habits that might be keeping you down! With over 50% of businesses not making it to their 5th year, we want to avoid any of those negative tendencies we can. So check yourself before you wreck yourself…okay, maybe we’re too old to say that, but you get the picture - here are our 10 Worst Habits for a Small Business Owner!

Today’s my 28th Birthday, and It’s been almost 7 years since I graduated from college, a bubbly, outgoing 21-year-old with dreams of a husband and babies and not really a whole lot else. Like most of us do, I’ve changed, and in some surprising ways. 6 1/2 of those 7 years have been spent working from home. I started at AT&T, where I worked out of my home office and telecommuted in for meetings. At max, there were a few months where I was going into the office 2-3 times per week.

Then I quit to start my own company and moved across the country. Here, I purposely chose not to root Design by Laney in the local wedding industry, anticipating our second move, which is now happening in a few months. In Denver…who knows how things will shake out?

“It’s just a piece of paper.”

“It’ll just get thrown in the trash.”

“Why would I pay that much for a few pieces of paper?”

How many times have we all heard these things? Heck, I used to find myself thinking these things when I first started out - “Wow, that quote is high...do I really think they’ll pay that for invitations?” Well, as my business and countless others have proved, the answer is yes. Very, very yes! But only if you truly understand the value you’re bringing to the table.

Usually combining two of your favorite things leads to something even better - that’s exactly what happened with this shoot. When Carly of Carly Marie Events called to say she had a Brunch Wedding idea for a shoot, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. I actually planned a brunch wedding back when I was still a wedding planner, so I loved this idea. Mimosa bars, shrimp and grits, beautiful morning light - all of the best things in the same event!

It’s no secret that we’re traveling way more than out parents ever did - over 60% of millennial families say they’ve been on an international trip in the last year. The same trend rings true in the wedding industry, with many sources showing that international destination weddings are on the rise. Destination wedding are all great, but we have a particular love for international weddings outside of the US - if you’re considering hosting an international wedding, we say get those passports ready! Here’s everything we love about weddings outside of the United States…

Two Februaries ago, I joined forces with Rachel from Bakerita and Cavin from Cavin Elizabeth Photography to create a fun Galentine’s inspiration shoot! It was bright, colorful, delicious, and so much fun - everything your Galentine’s Day should be.

I get pitch emails from new companies ALL. THE. TIME. Typically it’s a new wedding marketplace, blog, or resource of some sort that someone is starting, to help “change the wedding industry for good”. Or something like that. I see it all over the place from other wedding vendors too, though, and it’s capital-T The. Worst. Here’s an example I received today, word for word:

Happy Thursday everyone! Today, we’ve partnered with Pilot Pen to bring you a super-simple DIY tutorial for watercolor dip place cards! The ombre watercolor look has been one of the most popular trends for weddings and events lately, and once I started testing out Pilot’s Watercolor Brush Pens, I knew this was the perfect fit for them.

Wax seals are basically icing on top of a gorgeous wedding invitation cake. I mean, if that icing is shiny and perfect, and somehow modern chic and organic vintage all at the same time. They’re our most requested Suite upgrade, by far,, and the piece that every one of my Holiday Card recipients gushes over (so that’s gotta mean something, right?). Today, we’ll walk you through the world of wax seals, how to create them, where to find them, and how to make the most of them on your stationery.

We’re concluding our All About series by chatting about the piece that ties everything together - literally. One upgrade that we love to finish off a wedding invitation suite is some type of wrap. This helps add that finishing touch that makes your guests feel like they're opening a present (because they are!). There are so many options here, we’ll structure the post a little differently and talk about the most common ones. Read on to find out the best wrap for you!

What, now?

Happy New Year everyone! Have you enjoyed seeing all the baby announcements and engagements on your news feed this week? I have been SO EXCITED - this year is all about the babies for my friends and colleagues it seems, and what a fun time that is! If you’re part of that newly-engaged crew, then we hope you check out the entire All About Series starting with All About Wedding Invites. These will tell you all you need to know about each piece of a wedding invitation suite, and today we’re going to chat about a favorite upgrade of mine - envelope liners.

Did any of you know that I started out in wedding planning before stationery? I thought that was what I wanted to do with my life, but once I started doing stationery I had to make a choice. Running 2 separate businesses was not good for my mental health or my schedule! Now that it’s not for money, I absolutely love chatting wedding planning tips + tricks whenever I can, so this book was a breath of fresh air.

Of course, I turned to the stationery section first thing - and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was section Number 1!!! Starting with creating your guest list, Modern Wedding has tons of the same tips and tricks I offer to my clients every day.

The photos are incredible, from some of my favorite designers, including Stephanie Fishwick, Kaela Rawson, and Happy Menocal on the stationery side. The other vendors included are all A-list, from Mindy Rice to Bloom and Plume, and so many talented people in this industry - seriously, if you want to be inspired by anyone, this is the collection of artists to choose.

…and my favorite part of the entire book? It doesn’t mention pricing AT ALL. There's not one number, percentage, dollar amount that I could find. Because the emphasis here isn’t on your budget or how much you’re spending. The emphasis is on creating a wedding that feels like you. If you haven’t checked out our Home Page recently, that same sentiment is all over it, because that’s what matters to us too!

Other highlights for me included the Color Story section (this yellow inspiration, of course!), this handy description of traditional cultural wedding customs, and this stunning dress! This would be an amazing gift for your recently-engaged friends, and you get a cake knife and server set as well in the giveaway.

Alright, so how do you win?

If you came here it’s probably because you already saw our post on Instagram about winning your copy! You can get an additional entry if you comment below, and tell us what you’re most excited about for planning your wedding (or helping your friend plan theirs).

From setting your timeline to tasting your cake, be prepared for it all! One (1) winner receives:

From the Publisher: “The book unpacks every element of a wedding—stationery, attire, seating plans, flowers and tablescapes, food and drink, gifts—with examples that will appeal to couples who care about how things are made but are not overly influenced by trends. The emphasis is on natural surroundings, seasonal flowers and food, modern dresses, minimalist ceremony structures, and naked cakes. Photographs of real weddings—“case studies” like a destination fete in Tuscany, a house party in Brooklyn, and a New Agey revel in Kauai—show how all the pieces can come together into a unique and expressive whole. Extensive practical information and resources give readers access to all the help they need for their own unique celebration.”

It’s time! We were a little late this year on the goal-setting front, so they’re up for a little revision…but, hey, what isn’t? This year has been incredible - you can see what goals we set for 2018 here. We met about 60% of them, which is right where we typically aim, and we can’t wait to see how many 2019 goals we accomplish! I’m sure the year will bring about some unexpected goals, challenges, and accomplishments, as they always do, so I can’t wait to revisit this list throughout the year and see where the journey takes us.

So far, we’ve covered most of the “required” aspects of the invitation process, but there are a million other things you can do with your invite suite to help your guests and add some extra fun! One of the most common ways to do this is with an insert, details, or accommodations card - but we often see couples being confused about the right information to include in these pieces. Keep reading for all the info about how to create the perfect details card for your wedding invitation suite!

So far, we’ve covered most of the “required” aspects of the invitation process, but there are a million other things you can do with your invite suite to help your guests and add some extra fun! One of the most common ways to do this is with an insert, details, or accommodations card - but we often see couples being confused about the right information to include in these pieces. Keep reading for all the info about how to create the perfect details card for your wedding invitation suite!

We sent out over 1,200 reply cards in 2018, and are hoping to do more in 2019. The reply card is an often-overlooked piece of the invitation suite - we tend to stick with the typical wording and design and move on to more “exciting” parts. The truth is, however, that the reply card is the only conversational portion of the suite - the only piece that sends information to your guests and also receives information from your guest - so don’t discount the value of the RSVP card! It can save you loads of headache as well as help with your budget if you use it properly!

Part 2 of our All About series is here! You probably think we talk a lot about wedding invitations, so why do we need a blog about it? But often when we say “wedding invitations” we’re referring to the whole suite, so today we’re actually just focusing on the Invitation itself. In the next few weeks, we’ll cover all the other pieces so you can put all this knowledge together for one full suite - but today, it’s just the Star of the Show!!!

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